Iranian FM, EU’s Ashton to Meet Once A Month

(FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that he and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashon have agreed to meet once a month by June to discuss the issues related to the talks between Tehran and the world powers.

“We agreed to hold several meetings at the level of Ms. Ashton and me every four weeks by (the Iranian month of) Khordad (May-June) and have working meetings between our experts on different issues which are on the agenda,” Zarif wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) ended their third and last day of talks headed by Zarif and Ashton.

Zarif and Ashton who head the two sides’ delegations held a joint press conference at 10:00 Vienna time.

The last round of Wednesday talks was held at 22:00 Vienna time and lasted for 45 minutes.

Iran and the G5+1 agreed to hold a new round of talks in Vienna on March 17-20.

Zarif ‘s talks with Ashton are focused on finding a lasting solution to the nuclear standoff between the two sides after hectic diplomatic efforts in Geneva in November resulted in an interim agreement.

On November 24, Iran and the world powers, including the US, sealed a six-month Joint Plan of Action to lay the groundwork for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over its nuclear energy program. In exchange for Tehran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the Sextet of world powers agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against Tehran and continue talks with the country to settle all problems between the two sides.